Students must have a passing grade on all written exams, individual and group session exams. Exams are pass/fail, with 70% and above being a passing mark. The student may retake the exams at a later time, if they do not pass. Our exams include both formative and summative assessment.
Summative Assessments:
1. Written Exams: These are exams which are multiple choice, short answer and essay and are primarily assessing knowledge and theory. The exams are pass/fail, with a passing grade of 70% or higher.
2. Live Individual Session Exam:
These are exams which consist of the student giving a live session with a faculty member as an examiner. These exams are pass/fail and are based on criteria which we inform the student of prior to the exam and are also taught in our trainings on giving sessions.
3. Live Group Session Exam:
These are exams which consist of the student giving a live group session with a faculty member as an examiner and a group of others students as the participants. These exams are pass/fail and are based on criteria which we inform the student of prior to the exam and are also taught in our trainings on giving group sessions.
Formative Assessments:
These are assessments to check the student’s comprehension on material, literature, to track their progress and also serve as guide to focus on the essentials from the course or reading assignments. We also call these Reflective Assessments.
The Examination Committee
The examination committee is made up of a minimum of two members. The members are appointed by the Director.
The examination committee has an appointed chairman and a secretary. The chairman chairs the meetings. The secretary is responsible for processing correspondence.
Requests and objections to the Examination Committee should be addressed to the secretary.
The exam committee will issue a decision within 30 working days after the receipt of the request, unless otherwise stated in these regulations or in the OER.
Responsibilities of the Examination Committee
The quality of the final certification must be guaranteed by the Examination Committee. The Examination Committee is given specific responsibilities in order to accomplish this.
Ensuring the quality of all examinations and their organization.
Appointing examiners for facilitating examinations and determining the results of these examinations.
Making special arrangements for students with disabilities or other issues for taking examinations
Granting exemptions from taking examinations.
Arranging re-take and make-up exams
Taking measures to prevent fraud.
Imposing penalties for fraud and plagiarism
Processing requests, objections and appeals
Granting any exemptions from academic requirements
Deciding whether a student meets the criteria for obtaining certification with regard to knowledge, insight and skills.
Exam Regulations
The Institute has different forms of assessment, including formative assessment in which students may work in pairs, have open notes or answer questions which are reflective of their experience and don’t involves information recall. Those assessments are not subject to the following regulations. The regulations apply to all summative assessments and exams. If a student does not receive a passing mark on an exam, they may retake the exam the next time that it is offered. There is an Examination Committee, made up of Institute Faculty. The Examination Committee is responsible for appointing Examiners and hearing appeals. The below regulations are divided into three categories:
1. Live Written Exams on Location
2. Live Proctored Written Exams on Online
3. Live Session Exams
Chapter 1: Live Written Exams on Location Article 1: Responsibilities of Examiner:
1. The examiner is an official Trainer of the Essential Psychotherapy Institute and responsible for the course being examined.
2. The examiner is ultimately responsible for the exam questions, the completed exam papers, making sure that the exam is administered properly and correcting the exams.
3. If fraud is discovered or suspected while an exam is being taken, the examiner will immediately inform the student in question and file an official written report as soon as possible
4. The examiner must always have the following with him/her:
exam questions
list of participants
Article 2: Before the Exam:
1. The examiner must be present in the building where the exam is being held at least 30 minutes before the start of the exam.
2. When entering the room, the examiner checks whether the room is in an orderly state and set up appropriately and there are sufficient supplies
3. The examiner opens the room at least 15 minutes before the exam and invites the students in.
4. The examiner is responsible for completing an attendance sheet of all students present.
Article 3: During the Exam
1. Students who report to the exam room more than 30 minutes after the start of the exam will not be allowed to take the exam.
2. Before the exam, the examiner requests:
for the students to be silent
all mobile phones and other devices to be switched off and put away
the students to write their names on all the exam paper
3. Afterwards, the examiner passes out the exam questions.
4. Questions about the content will only be answered by the examiner.
5. When a student has finished the exam, he/she submits their completed exam paper to the examiner.
6. At 15 minutes before the end of the exam, the examiner will notify the students that they have 15 minutes to complete their exam.
Article 4: End of Exam
1. At the end of the exam session, the examiner announces that the time has elapsed and asks thestudents:
to stop working
to check that they have filled in their names on all pages;
to hand in the completed exams
2. The examiner will allow extra-time for students who are not fluent in English or have a learning disability. The student must declare this to the examiner up to 7 days before the exam date and these students will have 15 minutes extra time for each exam hour.
3. Once all students have left the room, the examiner leaves the room with all exam material in his/herpossession.
Article 5: Rules of conduct for students during exams
1. Students are required to follow the instructions of the examiner.
2. Students must arrive on time. No one will be admitted to the exam later than 30 minutes after the start of the exam session.
3. Students must switch off all mobile phones and other communication equipment and put themaway.
4. Students write their name on each page of exam paper.
5. Students are required to request permission from the examiner to temporarily leave the exam room. Not more than one student may be absent from the room at a given time.
6. From 30 minutes after the beginning of the exam, students may hand in the exam paper to the examiner. Once students have handed in their completed exam and left the room, they are no longer allowed request their exam back or be in the exam room.
7. Students must not cause any disturbance to fellow students or other persons present in and around the exam room (talking, eating, drinking). The examiner determines when there is a disturbance.
8. Students must refrain from any form of fraud.
Article 6: Emergencies during exams
An emergency exists if an exam is interrupted or ended prematurely due to:
1. Fire alarm
In the event of a fire alarm, the examiner and students (everyone present) must always leave the building immediately. The exam is terminated from that time. All exam materials must remain in the exam room.
2. Technical malfunction: electricity, network, internet, etc.
In the event of a technical malfunction, the examiner decides whether or not to terminate the exam.
3. Other emergencies during an exam
In the event of any other emergency in the exam room, the examiner decides whether or not to terminate the exam. Examples are: a student becoming unwell, noise nuisance, water leaks/flooding, excess heat or cold.
If an exam is terminated prematurely, the Institute will decide at a later date on the validity of the exam and a possible new opportunity to take the exam.
Article 7: Rules and Guidelines on Fraud
1. Fraud means any act or omission by a student that makes it fully or partially impossible to properly evaluate the knowledge, insight and skill of that student or another student. Fraud includes plagiarism in any form, meaning all cases in which a student indicates that the work in question is his/her own when it is not.
2. If a student is suspected of committing fraud, the matter will be addressed with the Institute’s ExaminationCommittee.
3. If fraud is discovered or suspected during an exam, the examiner will immediately inform the student in question and record this in writing as soon as it is possible. The examiner can ask the student to make any relevant evidence available. Refusal to comply will be noted in the report. The report and any evidence will be submitted to the Institute’s Examination Committee immediately.
4. The Examination Committee will give the student an opportunity to add their written comments to the report that was prepared by the examiner.
5. The Examination Committee will make a decision on the fraud and it may, depending on the degree of severity of the fraud, including frequency (repeated incidents of fraud), impose the following sanctions on thestudent:
reprimand
decide that no mark will be awarded to the student for the exam in question or assessment given for any practical exam
exclusion from the exam or practical in question for a maximum period of one year;
exclusion from one or more exam periods for a maximum period of one year;
a combination of the measures listed above.
6. In the event of serious fraud, the examiner is entitled to decide to propose to the Institute that the student’s enrolment in the training program be permanently terminated.
7. The Institute’s Examination Committee will only take a decision as described above once the student in question has been given the opportunity of having a hearing. The hearing may be omitted if the Institute has established that no fraud took place.
Chapter 2: Live Proctored Written Exams on Online
The following regulations relate to scheduled online proctored exams. An exam can be taken via online proctoring if there is no appropriate alternative.
Article 1: Definition
1. A live proctored exam is one in which the examiner watches one or more students live, and may intervene directly if necessary.
2. The examiner is responsible for:
Granting students access to the online exam
Monitoring during exams.
Resolving technical problems during exams
Article 2: The examiner
1. The examiner is responsible for sending the exam to the students
2. The examiner remain online and available for the duration of the whole exam
3. If fraud is suspected, the examiner shall report the fact to the Examination Committee and inform the student concerned.
Article 3: Exam location
Exams may be taken at a location of the student’s own choosing, provided the following conditions are met:
1. The lighting in the room must be sufficiently bright. Overhead lighting is preferable. If no overhead lighting is available, the light source may not be located behind the student.
2. The student must sit at an empty desk or empty workspace.
3. There must be no printed matter or written texts in the area around the student, unless the examiner has determined otherwise.
4. The student must be alone in the room.
5. The room must be as quiet as possible with no background noise caused by music or a television, forexample.
6. The following materials may not be present on the student’s desk and may not be used during the exam, unless specifically specified otherwise:
Books, including textbooks
Calculators
Laptops/Computers, with the exception of the one being used for taking the exam
Any type of mobile device, such as smartphones, smartwatches, and tablets
Article 4: Other conditions and provisions
1. Each student is responsible for providing a laptop/computer for taking the exam
2. Throughout each session, students must remain visible at all times and not move out of the line of vision of the webcam when taking the exam.
3. Starting half an hour before the exam, the examiner is available to help students who have technical problems.
4. During exams, extra time shall be given to students who either are not fluent in English or have a recognized learning disability.
5. Each student is responsible for having an adequate internet connection throughout each exam.
6. Students may have a drink on the desk in a completely transparent bottle or transparent glass.
Article 5: Students
1. Exams are proctored, which means that students are observed online to check that the exams are taking place under the right conditions.
2. If a student encounters technical problems because of circumstances beyond his or her control (such as a power outage) and is consequently unable to take or complete an exam, he or she must inform the examiner as quickly as possible and collect relevant evidence.
3. Each exam must be started and completed within the allotted period of time.
4. The examiner may declare an exam invalid if a student does not comply with the instructions
5. No result will be recorded for students who have committed fraud, apart from exceptional cases. Decisions on whether fraud has been committed and on what sanction is to be imposed shall be taken by the Examination Committee. In the event of serious fraud, the examiner is entitled to decide to propose to the Institute that the student’s enrolment in the training program be permanently terminated.
6. The Institute’s Examination Committee will only take a decision as described above once the student in question has been given the opportunity of having a hearing. The hearing may be omitted if the Institute has established that no fraud took place.
7. Students are not permitted to do the following:
Use, or attempt to use, unauthorized sources and tools such as the internet, mobile phones, or other devices when taking an exam
Share answers with others while taking an exam.
Call in the help of third parties during an exam.
Be outside the range of vision of the webcam during the exam or turn off the microphone, except during any authorized breaks.
Deliberate (temporary) disconnection.
Article 6: Examiners
1. Completed exams are saved by the examiner.
2. Data are processed in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
3. Personal data that have been collected shall be used solely for detecting fraud committed duringexams.
4. Students shall be informed of the privacy aspects online exams
Article 7: Force majeure
1. In cases of force majeure or any situation not provided for in this Regulation (such as a complete power cut, failure of online program), the examiner shall take a decision on the matter that is as compatible with this Regulation as possible.
Article 8: Responsibilities of the examiners
1. The examiner gives the specific instructions that apply to the exam – what may students have on their desks, for example? What may students use their computers for?
Article 9: Responsibilities of the students
Students:
1. must provide their own laptop/computer (with a properly functioning operating system), internet connection, and power cable.
2. are responsible for ensuring, if applicable, that the programs they will need during the exam have been installed on their laptop/computer.
3. are obliged, during and immediately after an exam, to follow any instructions given by the examiner.
4. are responsible for having the required equipment during the exam
5. must dress as if they are in an exam room.
6. must complete the exam in the room where they begin taking it
7. may not use headphones, earpieces or any other kind of listening equipment. Non-digital noise cancelling earpieces are only permitted if they are shown to the examiner before the start of the exam.
8. may not communicate in any way with any other person during the exam except the examiner
9. Students may not use mobile phones while taking an exam for whatever reason, unless they have received specific instructions to the contrary. These instructions will be communicated by the examiner.
10. may not be out of the view of the webcam while taking the exam. A break in visibility, for example too little light or a network interruption, can be a reason for the exam to be invalidated.
11. may still be admitted to an online proctored exam up to 15 minutes after the start of the exam
12. may consult only those aids such as papers, books, calculators, etc. that have been permitted by theexaminer.
13. may only visit the toilet with permission from the examiner.
Article 10: Laptop/Computer requirements
1. For the purpose of taking an exam, the laptop/computer used by the student must meet certain requirements. These requirements are listed below.
A working webcam (internal or external), ready for recording videos.
A working microphone (internal or external), ready for recording sound.
A working keyboard and mouse (or another suitable device for indicating purposes).
A stable internet connection (an upload speed of 1MB per second is advised), preferably non-wireless.
Chapter 3: Live Session Exams Article 1: Definition
1. A live session exam is when the student gives a session to a client or a group in the presence of one or more trainers, to be assessed by those trainers present
2. The student is the therapist
3. The trainer is the examiner
4. The person(s) receiving the session is/are the client
Article 2: Responsibilities of Examiner
1. The examiner is an official trainer of the Essential Psychotherapy Institute and responsible for the course being examined
2. The examiner will be on time and present for the entire duration of the exam
3. The examiner is responsible for the exam assessment, making sure that the exam is administered properly and grading the exams
4. The examiner is an observer and assessor and will only intervene in the exam session in case of any impropriety from the therapist to the client or vice versa. It is at the discretion of the examiner to decide what constitutes an impropriety, which threatens the emotional or physical integrity of the therapist or client. An impropriety is not limited to but may include:
Trespassing boundaries
Improper physical contact
Physical or verbal abuse
Sexual harassment
Any unsafe behavior
5. The examiner must keep the content of the session confidential, only to be shared with the therapist
Article 3: Responsibilities of therapist
1. The therapist must be on time to the exam location
2. The therapist is responsible for selecting a client and having the client sign a consent form
3. In case of a group session, which is conducted within the course of the 3rd Year Training, Module 2, the trainer is responsible for providing the clients.
4. The therapist will adhere to the Examination code of the Institute and always prioritize the wellbeing of the client
5. The therapist must keep the content of the session confidential
Article 4: Responsibilities of the client
1. The client must be on time to the exam location
2. The client must sign the consent form (if an individual session exam)
3. Participation in the session is open to persons who can take full responsibility for themselves. The client is aware that participation in these sessions is based on his/her own responsibility. The instructions given by the therapist should be interpreted as proposals, which the participant freely follows and only performs in so far as he/she can take responsibility for himself/herself. If the client crosses this limit and inflicts damage on himself or other persons, he/she bears the responsibility for the risk and all consequences arising from this. This also applies to material damage.
4. The therapist must keep the content of the session confidential
Article 5: Before the exam:
1. The examiner must be present in the building where the exam is being held at least 15 minutes before the start of the exam.
2. When entering the room, the examiner checks whether:
c. the room is in an orderly state and set up appropriately
d. there are sufficient supplies
3. The examiner opens the room at least 10 minutes before the exam and invites all participants in
4. The examiner is responsible for completing an attendance sheet of all students present
Article 6: During the exam
1. Students who report to the exam room more than 15 minutes after the start of the exam will not be allowed to take the exam.
2. Before the exam, the examiner request all mobile phones and other devices to be switched off and putaway
3. At 10 minutes before the end of the exam, the examiner will notify the students that they have 10 minutes to complete their exam.
Article 7: End of Exam
At the end of the exam session, the examiner announces that the time has elapsed.
Article 8: Rules of conduct for students during exams
1. Students are required to follow the instructions of the examiner
2. Students must arrive on time. No one will be admitted to the exam later than 15 minutes after the start of the exam session
3. Students must switch off all mobile phones and other communication equipment and put themaway
4. Students are required to request permission from the examiner to temporarily leave the exam room
5. Students must not cause any disturbance to fellow students or other persons present in and around the exam room (talking, eating, drinking). The examiner determines when there is a disturbance
Article 9: Emergencies during exams
An emergency exists if an exam is interrupted or ended prematurely due to:
1. Fire alarm
In the event of a fire alarm, the examiner and students (everyone present) must always leave the building immediately. The exam is terminated from that time. All exam materials must remain in the exam room.
2. Technical malfunction: electricity, network, internet, etc.
In the event of a technical malfunction, the examiner decides whether or not to terminate the exam.
3. Other emergencies during an exam
In the event of any other emergency in the exam room, the examiner decides whether or not to terminate the exam. Examples are: a student becoming unwell, noise nuisance, water leaks/flooding, excess heat or cold.
If an exam is terminated prematurely, the Institute will decide at a later date on the validity of the exam and a possible new opportunity to take the exam.
Exam Appeals Procedure
If you have any issues before, during, or after an exam, the most important thing to do is to immediately contact the Examination Board. Extenuating Circumstances and Examination Conduct are the two grounds for appeal under the Institute's procedure.
Extenuating Circumstances: Before the Examination
Special arrangements for the exam may be made if necessary. Contact an Examination Board member if you are having difficulty studying for or taking your exams (preferably before or at latest shortly after). They can inform the Examiner. This will not earn you extra points, but it may be because of:
· dyslexia - minor faults of grammar/spelling can be taken into account
any visual disability - special arrangements, e.g. in practical exams can be made
missing part of the exam and/or getting a grade much less than expected
Extenuating Circumstances: After the Examination
You may apply to the Institute's Examination Committee for an examination allowance, which can mean the difference between a pass and a fail. It considers evidence submitted by you (eg. academic records, medical reports), and in cases of failure, may allow you to pass.
If you missed or underperformed in a small portion of an exam due to extenuating circumstances, the Committee could request that the Examiners grade you based on only those sections of the exam that you took without handicap, potentially increasing your grade.
Conduct of Examinations
Before results are published
If you think that your performance has been impeded by a technical issue (eg. misprints; serious disturbance in the exam room) you may report a complaint to the Examination Committee within 3 working days of the examination.
After results are published
If you have a complaint about the examination process after obtaining your results, you can file a complaint with the Examination Committee within one month of the grades being released.
Appealing against a decision
If you are unhappy with the outcome of a complaint, you can request that the matter be reviewed by the Institute’s Ethical Committee within thirty days of obtaining the Examination Committee’s response. At least one of the following conditions must apply to your case:
• there were material circumstances surrounding exam conduct that the Examiner was unaware of;
• there were irregularities in procedure in exam conduct, casting reasonable doubt on the Examiners' conclusion;
• there is proof of discrimination, bias, or insufficient evaluation.
The Ethical Committee has the authority to request that the Examiners amend their decision, that your work be marked by an independent Examiner, or that you be re-examined.